Human Factor Aspects of Power System Flow Animation

This paper presents experimental results associated with human factor aspects of using animation to display electric power system flow information, including transmission line megawatt flow and power transfer distribution factor (PTDF) values. The paper´s results are based on two experiments performed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign using electric power system students. The results indicate that animated motion of power system flows can be used successfully in displays to improve both the speed and accuracy of certain tasks. This effect was most apparent on displays showing PTDFs. However, the results also show that motion may not provide a clear advantage in the visualization of transmission line flows for uncomplicated analysis tasks.